HiFiMan, being far from being newcomers to the personal audio market, very clearly understand how to create a lineup. It is this knowledge that enabled them to realize the fact that they do not have an interesting offer in the middle segment of headphone amplifiers (while headphones are there). The result of the development was the appearance of a very unusual hybrid model EF100, which I intend to tell in this review.
Like any sensible manufacturer, HiFiMan is trying to take a balanced approach to the formation of its product line, consistently covering all possible segments with both headphones and amplifiers. For those who are limited in the budget, HiFiMan offers a DAC / EF2A amplifier (and a version without EF3 DAC), HE-300 headphones and their kit at a very competitive price. In the upper segment, the company has an EF-6 amplifier and a number of headphones, such as the HE-6 and the newer HE-560. Judging by the news, the company will soon launch new products in the ultra-expensive niche of uncompromising solutions.
The main problem arose with the middle segment, as HiFiMan has headphones in it, and with amplifiers there were problems (EF-5 somehow did not go to the market). To correct a situation the new player, EF-100 is called.
In HiFiMan decided to make the EF-100 as versatile as possible, so inside it consists of three blocks. The lamp preamplifier is built on the traditional Chinese lamp 6N3J (it is better to replace it immediately after the purchase). This preamplifier divides the headphone amplifier operating in the AB class and produces 2 watts per channel at a load of 32Ω, and an amplifier for the T class speakers. Thus, the EF-100 is obtained by a universal desktop device capable of pumping both headphones, isodines, and effective desktop speakers. Traditionally, HiFiMan is not very generous with details about the interiors of its products, so what are the amplifiers made on - so far the riddle (I did not develop the survey sample).
To make the device more versatile, HiFiMan equipped it with a USB-DAC function necessary for a desktop device, but from its inherent pragmatism made it terribly poor quality. It uses a CMedia CM102S chip, and it supports a sample rate of up to 48 kHz with a bit depth of 16 bits. The quality is such that you can immediately forget about this function. At the core I do not understand what prevented to integrate something more decently, even on inexpensive PCM chips, worth a penny.
The total price of the amplifier is about $ 500, and even despite the failure of the DAC, this is a good offer. I traditionally want to thank for the opportunity to familiarize yourself with this device.
Specifications
- DAC chip: CM102S
- Lamp: 6N3J
- Input Impedance: 47KΩ
Headphone output
- Recommended load impedance: 32Ω - 300Ω
- Maximum voltage: 7.8 V @ 32Ω
- Power: 2W @ 32Ω
- Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 KHz ± 0.2 dB
Output to speakers
- Power: 4.5 W per channel @ 4Ω
- Frequency range: 20 Hz - 20 KHz ± 1 dB
Design and management
The box in which the EF-100 is delivered to the buyer does not impress the imagination. Normal brown cardboard without any frills. Inside, neatly packaged in cellophane foam, is the amplifier, power cord, instructions and a very good USB cable (much better than the DAC built into the EF-100).
But over the appearance of the device in the company worked perfectly. Rightly deciding that the EF-100 is primarily a desktop device, HiFiMan tried to make it aesthetically attractive, and they succeeded. The amplifier itself is made entirely of aluminum "natural" silver. It seems to be still an option in black, but, in my opinion, silvery looks more interesting. The shape of the case is very unusual, in the vertical projection it is almost square, on the top the body has an unusual shape with a smooth bend, in the rear part of it there are protrusions for the power transformer and the lamp, the latter is covered with a mesh protection.
Also on the top panel there is a volume control with a discrete stroke and a strange ledge, I suspect it is needed in order to get a player connected to the EF-100 to support it. The volume control is very nice, it rotates with clicks, this allows you to clearly set the desired volume level.
On the front panel there is a 6.3 mm headphone output and three switches: to select the output (headphones or speakers), line input or CD player input and USB-DAC on / off. The left panel provides a simple 3.5 mm line input, it allows you to easily connect a player or mobile phone. On the back there is a power socket, a device switch, speaker outputs, a USB input and an input for a CD player with two RCA (in fact, one more line input, only with other connectors).
The EF-100 itself is very heavy and thanks to silicone overlays on the legs it is securely fixed on the table. In general, it produces a pleasant impression of a very reliable and sound device, the build quality is excellent, there are no signs of "cheapness".
Sound
The following equipment was used to listen to the amplifier:
- MacBook Pro Retina Late 2013 as a source
- Yulong DA8 via USB as DAC, connected to EF-100 RCA cables Audio-Gd
- Fidelia as a player
- Headphones Philips Fidelio X1, AKG K702, ZMF Fostex, Fischer Audio FA-003 Bog Oak Limited Edition, Fischer Audio FA-011 Limited Edition Japan, Sennheiser HD800
- Entries in lossless format
Traditionally, for lamp devices, the EF-100 requires a couple of minutes after power-up for performance, and I warmed it up before listening for 48 hours (not that I was expecting something from this operation, but it would not make it worse).
When listening for the first time, the EF-100 plunges into surprise, as it is not clear why a lamp is used in it at all. The sound is very interesting, but it often skips some cold prickly, uncharacteristic for lamp and hybrid solutions. Several experiments made it clear that the problem lies in the lamp. In the theory 6N3J - the lamps used by the Chinese military industry, differing in the best direction from the usual 6N3, but in practice their use in audio devices gives not the best result. In general, it is typical for almost all Chinese lamps, replacing it with almost anything goes to the amplifier for good.
In general, the sound of the EF-100 is very detailed, with a slight bias in light sound, it is not bad in detail and has a good reserve of power, which has a beneficial effect on compatibility with headphones. The strengths of this amplifier are the volume of the imaginary scene and the transmission of the nuances of the recording.
The bass is well controlled, has a nice texture and resolution, but it is a bit scarce. For many records, this is not critical, especially if you have dark headphones, but old rock music sometimes lacks the drive. Modern remasters correct this situation.
Medium frequencies are detailed and clean, they do not have enough musicality, which you subconsciously expect from a lamp device, but the resolution and volume of the filing make it easy to reconcile with it.
The upper frequencies are pleasantly non-tensioning, there is no sharpness, but the resolution is enough to transfer all the nuances originally laid out in the record. A good study of HF promotes complex genres of music, in which a variety of instruments are used.
Compatibility
Since the power of the amplifier is large, and gain control is not provided, its main purpose is full-size headphones with high impedance and / or low sensitivity. Naturally, EF-100 is not bad with isodynamic models HiFiMan, except, of course, HE-6, as well it copes with Philips Fidelio X1. A little lack of confidence with AKG K702, the latter, despite the rather low impedance, are difficult to build, so not all amplifiers work with them properly. On Snorry's TDS-7 it becomes clear that this amplifier does not have enough control at mid-frequencies in comparison with the tops, but it still sounds good, but it costs several times less.
Due to the near-neutral pitch, the amplifier is not critical to genres, they all work out equally well for it, but to the quality of recording it is very picky. Some albums because of low-quality mastering are simply impossible to listen to, it motivates them to search for remasters and different publications in order to find the best option.
conclusions
A very good model for the mid-budget segment. Stylish appearance, the ability to work with speakers, a good supply of power - all this makes the EF-100 an interesting option for buying. Unfortunately, the complete DAC is frankly bad, so the machine does not "pull" the role of the combine, but if you add an inexpensive DAC from the same Stoner Acoustics or HiFiMeDIY to it - it's just a great bunch.
The article is based on materials .
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